4 Reasons You're Too Busy to Do Yoga

“To say I’m too busy to do yoga is an understatement.

I’m writing this on my first day off from work in two weeks. Tonight’s dinner is in the crockpot, tomorrow’s dinner is in the oven. A load of laundry in the washer, one in the dryer, and one waiting to go in.”

Do you relate to Jessica? I know I do. As I am writing this, I’m also currently meal prepping and avoiding my living room so I don’t have to see all the stuff begging to be put away. This past weekend was a four day weekend, and I watched at least five to six hours of Netflix. Now that I have work tomorrow morning, I am rushing around thinking to myself, “I’m too busy to do yoga tonight!”

I’ll be the first to say, I have never had a great relationship with time. I don’t think I’m the only one who feels this way.

This past week, I got to talk to Jessica who went to her very first yoga class, and she offered to share her story with me. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

“When you work a weird and unpredictable schedule as a caregiver, it is difficult to schedule time for yourself. I am getting better at turning down extra shifts and making myself a priority, but it is a work in progress. I feel a little burnt out after doing this for five years. I am ready to be the queen I am again.

To get myself out of this rut, I am trying new things, like new foods and new activities. I was invited to try a yoga class by a lady at my gym.

I usually work the morning shift on Wednesdays, but my manager gave this shift to a coworker so that I could at least have half a day off. I tried getting up early to go to yoga, apparently my body wanted the rest. I managed to wake up with just enough time to brush my teeth, change and rush out the door. I got there right as class started.

After two serious car accidents and being curvy most of life, staying in shape isn’t easy. I noticed early in the class my hips and low back were pretty stiff. The storm rolling in didn’t help (my friends call me the human barometer). Since I had the chance to talk to the instructor before hand, she was aware of my capabilities and what my body has been through. She would take an extra moment to explain how to work up to the full pose, which I appreciated. It took my body time to be able to lean fully into the various stretches.

The more I listened to my body, the more it worked with me. That wasn’t an easy feat after running late. My mind went 30 different directions, it took effort to stay in the moment.

The more I focused on my breath, though, the more I worked through the stiffness. It wasn’t pretty or perfect. By the end of the class, my hips and back felt a lot better. I went through the rest of my day noticing my pain less, a big win for me.

After writing this, I am working on my weekly plan. I will definitely incorporate yoga into my schedule regularly. I schedule my workouts like appointments, otherwise they’d never happen. My body could use this healthy challenge. There is good pain and bad pain.

I’m glad I discovered yoga I’m not too busy to do yoga, after just one class I can tell it’ll help me push through the good pain to lower the bad pain.”

Four reasons you’re too busy to do yoga:

You don’t know what you want and why you want to practice yoga.

Jessica writes, “I am ready to be the queen I am again.” She knows that she’s tired of feeling the same and getting the same results in her life. And she’s ready for change.

The beauty of when you know your what and why, you’re truly ready to release all the junk holding you back. And years later you’ll get to look back and see how much you’ve grown. If you don’t know your what and why yet, practicing yoga can help you start to figure it out because you’re spending time dedicated to you.

You haven’t shifted your mindset around making time for you.

One of the biggest challenges you’ll face, after realizing your what and why, is time. At some point, you’ll tell yourself that you don’t have enough time. Most likely, because you’re probably super focused on getting all your other stuff done.

Many of us are taught since birth that being productive is the most important thing in life. And while you’re checking things off your to-do list, make sure you tell yourself you’ll never have enough time to get it all done. So it’s not your fault you feel like you never have enough time. However, a major mindset shift need to happen:

Making time for you is being productive.

It will take you time to retrain your brain to believing this, but it’s possible. Especially when you use yoga to help you.

You don’t know how to make a change.

Jessica knows the quickest way into my heart. Organization and scheduling. If you want to set aside time for you, the best way that I have found is to schedule into your day. When you commit to something and write it down, it’s so much easier to actually do it. (And if you want to take another step, tell a friend!) Seriously, it works.

You haven’t tapped into what your body wants and needs.

I loved that Jessica said the more she listened to her body, the more it worked with her. Many people will go to their first yoga class and not really know what to do, so they will look around and try to mirror others in their class instead of listening to their bodies. That’s when you get injured or think you’re not good enough to do yoga. When you listen to what your body wants, that’s when you will get the most of your practice and be able to feel the (sometimes) subtle shifts that happen on your yoga mat.

Also, I think it’s really awesome that Jessica talked to her yoga teacher before class. When you go to any class, it’s important to let the teacher know how to best serve you and your body. However, it can be really difficult to share personal stories with a stranger. If you don’t feel comfortable (and it's okay if you don’t…don’t be harsh on yourself), it’s just even more important that you listen to your body!

Finally, if you’ve ever said you’re too busy to do yoga or make time for you, remember that you have 10,080 minutes and chances every week. And I’m here rooting for you.

Comment below your favorite takeaway from Jessica’s story. And please follow along Jessica Lynn Love’s journey on her blog, “Weight For It!” She writes about her accidental journey back to health, hope, healing and happiness.